The Adventures of An Afflicted
by Corran Beta
Summary: Derek the Haunted, former pupil of the Shing Jea Monastery is one of the Afflicted. However, at the death of Shiro Tagachi things for Derek change in this light hearted take on the Guild Wars universe.
1. Chapter 1

**The Adventures of An Afflicted**

**Part One: The Unexpected Redemption**

The sun was shining beautifully in the blue sky above me, although my concentration was almost solely on the reflection of that sunlight glaring off the cold steel of the sword that flashed before my eyes.

"Arrrrggggghhh," I said angrily and I pulled a green spirit from the underworld. It burst into the world from the beneath the earth and threw a bolt of light at the man wielding that deadly sword.

I would have smiled but for the rasping pain that seared through me as a result of a slice that the damned warrior had cut into my right arm a second before.

"Arrrrgggghhh," I said again.

My apologies for my lack of proper dialogue, you see at this point I was still an Afflicted under the powerful sway of the traitorous Shiro Tagachi. As a result I didn't have much of a mind for anything but staying alive and killing any would be 'Heroes' that tried to kill me, oh and of course, saying "Argh" a lot.

I had been a trainee Ritualist, studying at the Shing Jea Monastery under Professor Gai and his boss Master Togo, at least until Togo had been drawn over to the mainland to fight Shiro and his Afflicted minions in Kaineng City.

I had stayed behind to continue my training, while some of my quicker classmates went on to the fight. Days after they left I found myself struck down with illness. Turned out that it was the Affliction that had spread from Zen Daijun and changed the servants and guards of Minister Cho's Estate.

Leaving my wife and friends behind, I ran into the mountains then down into Zen Daijun and hid under a rock, literally. Unfortunately, there was no escape for me and soon I was just another servant of Shiro, fighting on the wrong side of the battle.

Anyway, back to the point.

I was, in my Afflicted state, fighting against a warrior who wasn't too well trained and probably wouldn't last long unless he learned some better moves. So I'd brought up the Spirit of Pain to take care of him.

The sudden arrival caught the warrior by surprise, I could tell because he said; "Whoa!" and fell backwards on to the grass. I was about to say "Argh," again, but instead I fell over myself.

There was a sensation that was like a shockwave that rolled through me and I think I lost consciousness for a second. When I awoke, if indeed that was what happened, I coughed a little and went to say "Argh" again, only this time instead of argh came the words "Get that ghost away from me!"

I don't know if I was more surprised than the warrior, but it definitely came as a shock to us both. "What did you say?" the wannabe hero asked.

Disbelieving and indeed thinking on my own, without the Shiro echoing in my mind for the first time in weeks, I said; "I said, get that ghost away from me!"

"Ok," the warrior said carefully. "I didn't know your kind spoke like, well in human speak," he added, clutching his sword tight in his hand.

I tilted my head and saw the hideous pulsing growths that covered my body. I was still Afflicted in body at least. "We don't," I told him. "I don't know what's going on. I mean, I'm Afflicted, but my mind is free."

The warrior was eyeing me with real suspicion now. "I don't know what's going on here and I'm not really happy with thinking too much. Mostly I just hit things, you know, with the sword. Can't we just fight and get it over with? I'll kill you and get on with my day ok?" he asked.

Looking at him and wondering how he ever got through any kind of screening for the monastery training. "To be honest," I began gently, "I think that sounds like a terrible idea. I'd rather go back to my family if you don't mind."

The warrior shrugged and with an exaggerated sigh, put his sword into its sheath. "Fine," he said. "But, if anyone asks you, you never saw me," he added, "I won't live this down."

With that, the idiot turned away and walked off mumbling something about forgiveness and Balthazar.

With a laugh of relief, I did a little jump in the air. I was free at last. Free from Shiro Tagachi, free to finally go home. "Woohoo," I exclaimed and began a slow waddle towards the mountains and far away to home.

I hadn't realised how slowly Afflicted Ritualists moved.

Getting home took longer than I thought, but where I'd expected trouble in the mountains, the Yeti's had run from me in fear. Apparently, they hadn't seen my kind before and didn't like what they saw too much.

Regardless of my physical condition I had nothing else to do but head home. So within a couple of days I found myself looking at my home in Tsumei Village, a place I thought I'd never see again.

It was nighttime when I got there and nobody had seen me arrive, which I figured was probably for the best in my current condition. I approached the door to my house and knocked three times.

Slowly I could make out a flickering light through the glass in the door. With a creak it opened and someone stepped out with a candle in hand. Well, I say someone stepped out, what I mean is a man stepped out.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked my oldest friend Raynor as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"Derek?" he asked uncertainly.

"That's right Raynor, its me," I told him angrily (to be honest I felt like saying "Argh," but I didn't think it was appropriate after everything I'd been through) "Now where's my wife?"

He stalled for a second and raised the candle to get a better view of me. "By Grenth man have you seen yourself?" he asked with shock in his voice.

"Of course I haven't," I growled back at him, "they don't hand out mirrors to the Afflicted you fool. Shiro didn't come to me and say, "Hey, sorry about the pulsating bulges, here's a stylist, he'll make the best of it for you!"

The commotion must have woken the wife, because, scantily clad, she arrived at the door. "Who is it Raynor?" she asked with a yawn. "Tell them to come back in the morning."

"It's me," I spoke up. She was so beautiful, even in the limited glow of the candle I could see again, that which I had missed in my exile.

"Derek? What are you doing…ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

There was a thud as she hit the ground.

Raynor looked at me, I think with sympathy. "You really should petition Shiro for that stylist mate," he told me.

"Curse you," I yelled. "She was my wife…"

"Hey, calm down buddy. She thought you were dead. Nobody comes through after they get the sickness," Raynor tried to explain. "You should be glad that someone was there to help her through while you've been away," he added.

I didn't wait around; I hit him with my staff around the head. And when he didn't fall down, I hit him again and again until he did.

Taking one last glance at my wife, I turned aside from Tsumei Village and decided never to return.

Three days I wondered lost and lonely around Shing Jea Island. Wherever I went people ran from me and doors were slammed and locked. Even the snake like Naga hissed in disapproval, before slithering away. One Kappa even threw an ice dagger at me for Grenths sake, which to be fair earned him a spirit burn for his troubles.

I felt as low as I'd ever felt. Even the days before I became Afflicted, when I knew what was coming, the sense of hopelessness was never as complete as it was in those days after I left my home.

At length I came to the sea. It was a clear day and I could see across to the mainland. Towards the north, the sky rained with fireworks. Shiro had been defeated I had heard as I travelled the lands, which explained my freedom of mind. I wondered if my body would ever share the same freedom.

Standing high above the water on a cliff face I made another decision. With a deep breath I threw myself off of the cliff.

The water slapped me hard and I felt myself sinking for a second, but all too soon the buoyancy of my inflated body pushed me back to the surface. Irritated I let the current of the water bear me wherever it may.

I wasn't at sea very long. A boat from the mainland came close by and I was caught in a large net, to cheers from the crew that they had the biggest catch any had ever seen.

Content merely to be left alone, I acted as much like a cod as I could, flapping about a bit and then pretending to die. The way I saw it, I was basically on a free ride to the city where I hoped that people were a little more forgiving than those of the island. They had culture and style and sophistication in the city, so I put my faith in that small hope.

As the boat dropped anchor I saw my chance and got up. That caused a stir. The men ran around shouting and one suggested getting a couple of maggots on a fishing line to bait me back into the boat.

With a sigh, I walked from the dock among cries of "Stop that fish!" So ended my hopes of sophistication.

I hadn't gone far when I heard someone cry out in the dockyard. "Get off of me you vile oafs," came a shrill voice. Turning a corner, I saw a funny little creature with big ears, armed only with a fiery looking staff, trying to fight off a group of three purple clad men.

They had the little creature backed into a corner. "Give us that pretty staff," one of the men said and reached out. He got his fingers bit by the little creature for his efforts.

"It's mine you cretin," the creature answered angrily. "Leave me be," it added.

The men laughed and one of them said, "You don't know where you are do you little freak? You're on the Jade Brotherhoods turf now big ears. Give us the staff and be glad we don't take your head for the insults."

Hearing enough, I spoke out. "Gentlemen," I began and all of the gathered focused their attention on me. "I think you should let the little thing go," I told them with as much authority as I could gather.

A laugh rippled through the group again. The same man spoke again; he was the leader I guessed. "Why would we take orders from a fish?"

I smiled, thought I guess it didn't resemble much of a smile on my twisted features. "If you don't listen to this fish, it'll make you sorry." I didn't think they'd listen so I pre-empted their response by calling a spirit to help persuade them.

"Meet my friend…Pain!" I said, deepening my voice for the word "Pain!"

The effect was dramatic and with a cry of fear they ran away, one shouted back "what kind of fish can call the spirits of the underworld to fight for it?"

"I'm not a fish," I shouted at their fleeing backs. They didn't turn around though, just kept on running.

"Not a fish hey?"

I looked at the little creature that had just spoken to me. It held its staff defiantly, as if daring me to try to take it.

"You don't have to be scared," I told the creature.

It gave a little snort of derision. "Scared? No! You are the most funny looking Bookah I have ever seen, but I don't fear you," it told me.

"What are you?" I asked it.

It smiled a crinkled little smile. "I'm Dokk, bookah," it said. "I'm an Asura," it added as if that explained everything.

Relieved that something finally wasn't either running away from me or calling me a fish, I said, "Hello Dokk, I'm Derek. And I'm an Afflicted."

To be continued…………


	2. Chapter 2

The Adventures of An Afflicted

Part 2: Monumental Misjudgements

The city streets of Kaineng were deserted before us. Where I had expected to find hustle and bustle, there was little more than the blowing of the breeze. Towards the City Centre lights flashed in the sky as the celebrations continued over the defeat of Shiro.

Dokk, my new Asura friend and I had been travelling together now for a few hours. We had seen no more of the purple clad Jade Brotherhood and had arrived at a near empty Marketplace, where one blind trader, who hadn't realised I was an Afflicted, had told me of the terrible price that Shiro's fall had exacted. Master Togo was dead.

I remember the last thing Togo had said to me, "_Hello, young Derek the Haunted! You are fast becoming a favorite student of mine_." I don't know, maybe it was just something he told everyone who completed the basic training at the Monastery, but it had seemed sincere enough and had always stuck with me. Poor Togo.

"You're in dream land again Fishman Bookah," I was told by my new companion, who to be honest, I was beginning to find a little irritating.

"Listen," I began, realising the futility of arguing against this strange little creature, "I don't know what a Bookah is, but I do know that I'm not a Fishman. So drop it ok!"

The Asura didn't break its stride. "This way Fishman," it said disregarding me entirely and walking on through the streets.

As we walked I asked for the fifth time what we were looking for and for the fifth time I was ignored, well I say ignored, I heard him mumble something about a 'fissure' and more grumbling about "half witted dwarves."

All at once the Asura stopped and turned to me. "You know something, it's the Dwarves fault. Digging around the place, leaving caverns and tunnels under the earth, from one side of the world to the other," Dokk said in that annoying tone.

"Uh huh," was all I could think of replying.

The Asura snorted contemptuously. "My fault for expecting a Bookah to understand so simple a premise. I come from a far away land Fishman. A land where my people bend great magic to our uses! We made the Gates that brought the dwarves to these shores so far from their mountains in the north."

I didn't bother replying, but if I had I would have said "uh huh."

"My gate is gone, because of the Destroyers that those Dwarves aggravated." the Asura announced. "And now I am stuck here in this city of rejects who are all suffering some childish Affliction, no offence intended of course. But if we were at home, I could cure this nonsense in a day."

"What," I said astounded by his – I think it was a he – claims. "Your people know of a cure for this?"

"Of course not, they've never seen you," he laughed at me. "But given a few minutes they will have it figured out..."

"Then we have to go there," I broke in before he got on one of his rants about his superior brethren in the North.

Dokk laughed at me again. "Impossible I'm afraid," he said with a blink. "To open the broken gateway would take a power source that could generate 1.21…well, the amount is rather irrelevant. Suffice to say that no such power exists in this stinking rat infested city."

My mind raced ahead of the Asura, for the first time and indeed probably the last time in all the time I came to know him. "I know where we can get the power from," I told him.

He looked dubious.

"Grenth!" I exclaimed.

Dokk stopped walking then. "You think that you can make the God of the Underworld listen to you talking about opening up a temporal distortion gateway through Tyria?" he asked.

Fair question, I thought. "No my little friend," I added, really thinking on the move. "I think I can get him to listen to you talk about temporary gate things. He's my God after all. I've spent my life devoted to him, that's got to count for something."

A sort of panic seemed to cross Dokks little face as he pondered whether or not I could be right.

Eventually, reluctantly, he said, "I concede to you on this Bookah. The Gods are the only ones in this land with the power to perform what I seek. And if the Gods owe anyone anything, then it is probably you my large companion. It is probably you!"

"Thanks, I think," I replied. "Now, we just have to find a shrine to Grenth."

"Not a problem, we shall use this map," the Dokk told me confidently and produced a map of the city from his robes.

"Where did you get this?" I asked.

"From the trader where else? He was blind after all, what use has he for such a map? Our need was much greater. We must take the road to Tahnnakai Temple, then proceed on through to the Zin Ku corridor where the Gods have their shrines."

With his sentence complete and his theft unforgiven, the little Asura slipped the map away and began a steady march in what I could only guess was the direction of the Talaki Temple place.

We marched straight on until we eventually came to an underground section of city, where massive drains spewed fetid water into huge gullies.

"What sort of creature lives in a place like this?" asked Dokk. It was a question I couldn't begin to answer. Walking through the Sanjiang District was like walking through an open drain.

But despite our complaints about smell and scenery, there were people living down there, the Am Fah mostly.

A band of thieves and criminals, the Am Fah would set upon anyone foolish enough to cross their paths. So it was, we met them:

They appeared from nowhere, dropping out of the very sky. Six of them there were and they had a mean look about them. "What've we got here boys?" one of them said.

"Listen," I started, "we don't want any trouble, we are on urgent business to Tanjaki Temple. Ok?"

"Oh, that's fine," the same one said, "but unfortunately people don't go through without paying the toll. And the toll doubles if you're an Afflicted with a little freak thing in tow. What the hell are you anyway?" he asked pointing at Dokk.

Dokk spoke up, "I am an Asura you stupid man. Step aside as we are on important business that would simply be incomprehensible to your unworked mind. Our path through this slimy mudhole is disgusting enough already, step aside."

The Am Fah looked to each other. Trouble was coming I was sure of it. "Slimy? Mudhole? That's it!" the leader shouted. "Am Fah, attack!"

And with that they were on us. I tried to call spirits, but was suddenly blinded by a flare from Dokks staff.

As my vision cleared, Dokk poked me hard with his staff. "Time to beat a hasty, but well contrived retreat Bookah."

Staggering half blind, I followed Dokk as he wound his way through the blinded Am Fah, stretching out, to knock the legs out from under each of them with his staff as he went.

"Why didn't you do that to the Jade people when we first met?" I asked him as we moved quickly on.

He didn't look back but his shoulders sagged a little. "I ran out of energy," he said with a beaten tone in his mildly irritating voice. "I was using my staff as a glow stick to amuse myself, when they surrounded me. I was being a Bookah you might say."

"What is a Bookah?" I asked, realising that my relationship with this Asura was fast turning into just a series of unanswered questions and not sure that I wanted the answer to this particular question anyway, considering how often he had used it in reference to me.

He answered, "Let it suffice to say, that it is not a term that the Asura ever point at themselves and that I have shown a supreme humility in my previous sentence, thus once again proving my superiority over all but my fellow Asura."

See, told you I didn't want the answer.

"Whatever you say, little freak," I answered.

"Indeed, Bookah, whatever I say. I'm impressed, you can learn after all."

And so we reached Taranki Temple and quickly passed through, scaring a few of the resident spirits, who apparently had seen my kind not too long before. I tried to explain, but only Vizu seemed to actually listen.

"Carry on through," she told us. "But hope not that Grenth will show compassion for the living, even in your condition Derek the Haunted."

With her words of encouragement we carried on through to the Zin Ku corridor, where sit the monuments to the Gods.

We hustled past the temple acolytes and moved down to the stairs to the monument of Grenth. With some difficulty I managed to bend my bulbous knees to kneel before the shrine. Eventually the image of a reaper appeared beside us.

"I am the Voice of Grenth," it declared in a deep tone. "What do you pledge to the God of the Underworld?"

"Uh, listen," I began uncertainly, "Could we, um, talk to the big man."

I got the feeling that the reaper was staring at me, though it seemed to have no eyes beneath its hood. "The big man?" it asked, clearly angered.

I tried to back-pedal a little. "We need help with something and only the God himself has the power to grant our favour."

More staring from the eyeless reaper!

"You seek the God of the Underworld for a favour? You come here, with no offering and insinuate that I have not the power to help you. Insult me on my own monument…"

"Enough of this," Dokk spoke up. "We need your master to generate a force of 1.21 gigawatts to reopen the gateway to Riven Earth so that I can cure my Bookah friend of his plague. Go fetch your master," he added dismissively.

The reaper said nothing and I knew, as the seconds ticked by, that Dokk had just bought us permanent visitation rights to the Underworld.

Suddenly the reaper began a slow chant and a portal began to open slowly. Dokk got the wrong idea and said, "See Bookah, you've just got to know how to talk to these jumped up door guards…"

His sentence broke off as a little creature, clearly not Grenth-sized, popped through the portal. Then another one broke through, squat little things they were, smaller even than Dokk. Little green things with sharp pointed ears on top of which sat a little red hat that I had seen briefly on one Wintersday.

"Run," I shouted to Dokk who was trying to fathom out the new arrivals, a group which was getting bigger by the moment. Within a few seconds there were ten of them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Dokk asked, as I plucked him up under one arm and ran as fast as my limbs would carry me.

"Grentches," I shouted back. "Servants of Grenth, they normally don't come out unless it's near Wintersday."

And so I departed Tamaki Temple, pursued by a host of Grentches with Dokk secreted under one arm and complaining about the smell. We came at speed, to the place where the Am Fah had ambushed us previously and true to form, they appeared again.

"Oh you must be more stupid than you look," the leader said as they stepped out in front of us.

"Get out of the way," I yelled and barrelled through their ranks, turning briefly to watch in a kind of twisted amusement as the Grentches rounded and corner and ran straight into the Am Fah.

The thieves were overwhelmed in seconds, but that was all the time Dokk needed. "I was never sure of the purpose of this until now," he said and threw a small disc on to the floor.

Where the disc landed, up popped a snowman. The Grentches stopped instantly and made funny little squeaking noises at the snowman.

"Don't slow down, Bookah, it's just a trick, it won't be there long," Dokk told me. I redoubled my efforts and we shot out of the underground into daylight.

"I would suggest that we hide," I told Dokk, whilst looking around. I found a shop that suited our needs and burst in and hid behind the counter. The shopkeeper looked bewildered. "Shhh," I said to him. It was unnecessary really as the shock of seeing an Afflicted burst into his shop had killed him. He fell to the floor with a thud.

"Dammit," I said.

"Silence Bookah they will find us," Dokk told me. With a sigh he added, "I don't know how I let you get me into this mess."

I looked in amazement at the Asura, but decided that the argument I had on my lips would be wasted.

I hate you, I thought at him. Little freak!

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

**The Adventures of An Afflicted**

**Part 3: Gates to Madness**

After barely escaping from the horde of Grentches that had been sent to get me and Dokk, we were at a loss of what to do. Dokk had insisted that there was no power in the land now capable of fixing his gateway so we were stuck to more old-fashioned means of transit.

"What about a boat?" I asked the Asura.

"Finding someone who is going our way could be a problem my large friend," Dokk told me. "It is many days from here to the shores of the Tarnished Coast and my homeland."

"Got a better idea?"

Dokk looked at me again like I was an intolerable fool. "Of course I have," he told me. "We head north."

"Why?" I asked.

The Asura ignored me again and started walking off in the direction of Kaineng Centre. "We're going to get a boat," I said, answering my own question.

Our arrival at the Centre was greeted surprisingly well. Lots of people congratulated me on the excellence of my costume, but wondered what Dokk was supposed to be. His answer to that was simply, "Asura!" with the occasional "Bookah!" thrown in if he was being generous.

In honesty I was glad, even though the people were misled in their belief that I was wearing a Afflicted costume, that people were talking to me. I was thoroughly sick of Dokk and his abuse and I'd known him less than a day.

We spent the rest of that day socialising with everyone you could hope to meet. Many of the students from the Monastery that I had studied with were there celebrating the victory over Shiro.

"There's something familiar about you," a monk in white robes said to me as he stumbled towards me in a drunken stupor. "He killed my best friend you know," he said as he stroked my arm.

"Who did?" I asked as I shuffled away slightly.

"I've got a place in the city if you want to go back for some refreshments," he told me with a wink not answering me. I smiled, as much as possible and moved quickly away.

Later on I noticed him staggering out of the party with a girl on each arm holding him up as he walked away. Distantly I heard him shouting something about Shiro and his oldest friend being dead.

I found Dokk lurking around by some storage chests. "What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Keeping away from that monk Bookah, he kept offering to take me home with him," Dokk told me.

I laughed. "Well, he's gone now. And I think it's time we found ourselves a ride out of here.

"Agreed entirely, at last you've said something worth saying Fishman," he told me and we hustled towards the docks behind the buildings.

Sure enough there was a boat sat waiting for us.

"Quickly," Dokk said. "We can hide in the cargo containers."

So we hoped aboard and threw out a lot of expensive looking trinkets from the boxes, then squeezed in and prepared for the journey.

Two days, by my guess was how long we were at sea. I'd been thrown around in my little crate and I was tired and hungry.

Just as I was beginning to think that I couldn't take any more jostling around I heard a commotion. The crew were shouting about something that I couldn't quite make out through the box.

Suddenly, I heard a high-pitched noise and instantly realised what the trouble was. They'd found Dokk.

As I pushed the lid off of my box and was briefly dazzled by the bright sunlight. I heard Dokk cry out. "Help me Fishman."

The crew turned about almost as one, following the eyes of the Asura and when they saw me…well…

The first two jumped overboard into the sea and the other four screamed first, then jumped overboard.

I waddled over to Dokk who had been dropped on the deck forgotten in the panic. "You okay?" I asked.

Rising in as dignified a manner as possible, Dokk sneered at me. "Of course not," he yelled at me, rubbing his left arm feverishly. "Those brutes could have damaged me permanently. What took you so long?"

"Well, I was having such a good time in my crate, that I thought I'd stay there as long as possible," I started irritably, "but then my blissful reverie was interrupted by some stupid thing screaming its stupid head off. Does that answer your question?"

"I don't recall hearing any of the crew screaming," was all Dokk said back to me, before he turned his back on me and sulked by the steering wheel of the boat.

After about an hour I decided to try talking to him.

"Listen Dokk…"

He cut me off. "No, you listen Bookah. I'm far from happy with this situation. My luck has been off ever since I came to the tunnels beneath Cantha. I am far from my home and I don't need every decision I make criticised by some Afflicted Bookah. Especially when said Bookah has no better idea's than getting us chased by a bunch of Wintersday obsessed Goblins."

I was stunned. "You're blaming me for that? After you upset the Reaper?"

"Let me ask you something Fishman…"

Dokk didn't get to ask me his question. As we were talking, the boat had drifted very close to some rocks that jutted out from a headland I had failed to notice. Just as he was about to ask his question, the boat smashed into said rocks dashing us both into the waiting sea.

As I emerged from the water, I was even more irritated than the last time. Still I called out to Dokk anyway. As the waves washed over me, I got a glimpse of the boat sinking slowly a little further away. And there are no prizes for guessing what was being dragged down with it.

"Dokk," I cried out, swimming as fast as possible towards him. I began to feel the extra pull of the current around the boat.

Throwing out a limb in the direction of the Asura, I hoped that we weren't both doomed already.

He managed to grab hold of my arm and I pulled him towards me.

"The rocks," I shouted and pointed with my free hand. The rocks that had sunk our boat would turn out to be our salvation I hoped.

We struggled more and more against the current that the failing boat was creating, but made slow progress and eventually I grabbed hold of the rock that we had ploughed into not more than a minute previous.

With a scramble, we managed to get out of the treacherous water. The waves crashed around us and we could do little but watch as our only hope of getting back to Dokk's homeland sank to the depths of oblivion.

"You were saying about things going badly," I said prompting the Asura.

He thought on it for a moment. "Yes," he began, "perhaps I was unwise to upset that Shining Blade girl after all."

A minute or two passed and the ship disappeared altogether. Not even my crate had floated out of the wreckage.

"Well," Dokk said, "once again we find ourselves in a problematic situation Bookah. I guess there is nothing for it, but to head towards land. By my calculations, we are still some way off of the Tarnished Coast. In all probability we are looking at the coastline of Elona."

Turns out that it was Elona.

A bloody shame really because Elona is mostly desert and within a short walk we were in a part a desert which had a poisonous yellow sulphur sand everywhere.

I was immune to its effects, but Dokk burnt his toes pretty bad on it and wouldn't shut up about it for days.

With no sign of plant life, water or food, I carried him under the gaze of a baking hot sun across an acrid land of death.

We saw creatures, strange undead looking things. They tried to kill us. We saw big monstrous things that turned into stony squares when we looked at them. They tried to kill us. We also saw massive worms, which tried to swallow us whole. Basically everything we did encounter, tried to kill us.

None of them managed to though. Dokk was actually pretty handy with his staff and knew some lethal spells. I learnt maybe not to upset him so much if only to avoid the fire he could summon at will.

So it was, an Afflicted Ritualist, carrying an Asura with a large fiery staff arrived at the Ruins of an ancient town called Morah after three days fumbling through what I later learned was called the Desolation.

Thankfully the town was mostly empty, apart from a sales man called Souske, selling water and sandwiches that he claimed were almost as good as those made by the great Sandwich Maker Olias.

I'd never heard of either of them to be honest, but the sales man did make us some damned fine sandwiches while we were there so I guess that Olias must be pretty good at it too.

We managed to stay there a couple of days before an army of Kournans burst in and took the place over. The leader, a woman, wondered at Dokk and me.

Surprisingly, she listened to our story with interest, rather than just killing us outright. She seemed nice. We had some Charr meat sandwiches while we told her what had happened to us.

When we were finished in the telling she told us some excellent news. Her God Abaddon had brought back Shiro Tagachi from the ether. Not just that, but she actually promised to help us get to him.

We went with her into a ceremony to open up the portal to Shiro and Abaddon. She got most of the way through when she was interrupted, irritatingly by some aggravating 'Sunspear' people. Anyway, before they could stop us she managed to open up the portal.

"Go ahead, the Sunspears will only try and kill you my friends they are an intolerant bunch," she told us as we looked into the portal.

"We will stay and fight with you," I offered, stifling Dokks protests that we should just leave her to it.

"I've got a surprise for these Istani fools," she told us and bid us to go on. "See you on the other side," she said with a wink, before nudging us through.

That was last we saw of Varesh.

So anyway, we walked through the dark lands beyond the portal until we came to a place called the Gate of Madness. To be honest, thinking back on it, some of the names of the places behind that vortex were a bit on the dodgy side. Gate of Pain, Gate of Madness, and Realm of Torment...not really names for nice places.

Nothing really bothered either of us while we were there though. None of the creatures there seemed to care about Dokk and me at all. Even the Titans let us by without a second glance.

Eventually in the Gate of Madness, we found the place where Shiro was camped out with his mate some kind of Lich.

"Master Shiro," I said as I reached him.

He looked at me with surprise. "An Afflicted? How did you get away from Cantha? And indeed all the way here?" he asked in his gravely voice. So I told him the story same as I'd told Varesh.

When I was finished, with various interruptions – sorry, corrections - from Dokk, Shiro put a hand on my shoulder and I'm sure a little tear ran down his cheek. "My poor Ritualist," he began.

"You know ever since I spoke to that fortune teller, nothing I have done has turned out right. First the Emperor, then how many lives ruined by the wickedness that turned you and the others into the Afflicted?"

"Ah," I said shrugging. "It's been an education. You learn a lot about people from their reactions to you when you've got this kind of problem."

"You are very kind," Shiro said to me, "but I cannot begin to imagine how it has all been for you."

"Lucky, he has had me to keep things straight for him," Dokk spoke up. "I cannot imagine how things would have gone had I not saved you from the Jade Brotherhood."

I just smiled at him and Shiro did too. "I'm glad he found you my Asura friend," Shiro said and laughed. "Now, then lets get this Affliction sorted out shall we?"

"Yes please," I said.

Just then the Lich burst in. "Shiro, Shiro, they've killed Varesh. The damned Sunspears have killed young Varesh," he shouted.

Shiro looked distraught. "No, how can this happen? They can't have killed her. We had a date planned for tomorrow after the Nightfall. I bought Jade Crab sandwiches from Olias, her favourite."

The Lich shook its head. "I'm sorry Shiro, but it's true. They killed her in cold blood. I needed to tell you first. It's that Kormir, she's come to throw down Abaddon and steal a place amongst the Gods." Then he ran out the door, looking around nervously.

"Okay, okay," Shiro paced the floor and we could see he was angry. "Derek, Dokk, wait here and I'll sort out this mess, then get you fixed up okay?"

I was about to offer assistance, when Dokk prodded me with his staff and shook his large eared head at me. "We have to focus on getting back to Rata Sum."

"Ah yes, of course," Shiro said. "I'll open a portal to the Asuran lands." With a chanted command, a portal opened and through it we could see green fields and rolling hills.

We gaped in amazement at Shiro's power. "Incredible," Dokk drooled. "If we Asura had such power…"

"One day you might," Shiro told him. "Now, one second to fix you my friend, this is a little more complicated," Shiro added turning to me and he began another longer chant.

Suddenly the Lich came staggering back in the door looking pained, interrupting Shiro's chant.

"Lich?" Shiro asked worried. With an unexpected lurch, the Lich fell forward on his face and revealed a host of arrows sticking out of his back.

"LICH!" Shiro screamed. "Oh that's it, they're dead," he added drawing his monstrously long daggers. He ran towards the door yelling something about impossible odds.

Within a minute he too was filled with arrows and came staggering back in the door. "Run you fools," he said as he fell dead before our feet.

So we turned and ran through the vortex, just as a party of Sunspears entered the room and their arrows started to fly in our direction. I had a funny twisting feeling in my guts as we span through the wormhole.

In pain we landed on the grass in a place I could only assume, Dokk called home.

To be concluded…


	4. Chapter 4

The Adventures if An Afflicted

Part 4: Project H.E.A.L Helpful Egomaniacs Advise the Limited

Through the vortex, Dokk and I tumbled. We hit the grass hard on the other side. I glanced back just in time to see the hole in the air disappear and resolve into a sheer rock face.

Taking in the scenery I couldn't help but notice a pack of dinosaurs running across the green landscape. "Uh, Dokk," I started nervously.

The Asura didn't turn to look at me he just shrugged and shook his head. "What now Fishman?" he asked irritably.

I put aside my annoyance at his undeserved impatience, I was getting used to it now. "I take it this is where you live?" I asked.

With an audible sigh, he turned to look at me, giving the impression that he was somehow looking down upon me, despite physically looking up. "Of course it is. If you look into the distance you can see Rata Sum, my home."

Sure enough in the distance I could see a walled formation. "Okay," I said," what do we do about the dinosaurs?"

"Avoid them of course," Dokk said sarcastically and began a march towards a pack of Raptors.

I followed as best I could not wanting to be too far adrift from Dokk who had now become my guide. One of the monsters broke off from the pack as we approached and loomed up in front of us. Dokk seemed unafraid as the two-legged beast stopped in front of him sniffing the air.

Dokk stopped and allowed the creature to absorb his smell. "You remember me," he told it soothingly. His manner surprised me; it was the first time I'd heard Dokk speak without scorn.

Sure enough, within a few seconds the dinosaur was licking the Asura's hand. "It knows you?" I asked, instantly regretting my outburst as the monsters attention switched to me. It growled menacingly and advanced on me.

"Uh, Dokk…" I said with panic as the beast sniffed me, growling as it did.

"Your best bet for survival is not to breathe too loud Bookah," Dokk told me. It was going to be a problem though, I wasn't breathing at all as the dinosaur pushed its nose it my chest, then opened its jaws and roared in my face.

All I could see was teeth.

"He doesn't like you," Dokk said as the creature knocked me off my feet with its tail in a move I hadn't even seen. "That's enough now," I heard Dokk say in the background. His voice drifted through my fear, sounding hollow and far away. I'd closed my eyes but I could still feel the hot pungent breath on my face.

Suddenly the heat was gone and a cool breeze blew across me. I don't think I ever felt so relieved, but it still took me some time to open my eyes again. When I finally did, the beast was on its back and Dokk was tickling its tummy, like it was some massive dog.

"Who is a good boy," Dokk said as he played with the beast.

Gradually, the power of speech came back to me. "You have dinosaurs as pets?" I asked disbelieving.

The Asura laughed at me. "Do not be ridiculous. They are not pets, but we have domesticated some of them. How would we negotiate our lands with such creatures roaming around threatening to eat us all the time? No, no. It is only strangers who are in danger from the dinosaurs."

"Oh, good," I said. "I take it that now I've been introduced, they won't eat me right?"

Dokk smiled and said; "I would not test that theory if I were you Bookah. While I am with you, you are safe from them. Do not walk these lands alone."

I took Dokks warning to heart and stuck very close to him as we continued our walk through the land before time that the Asura knew as home.

When we reached the door to Rata Sum, Dokk introduced me to the Krewe member would was guarding the God shrine. Any hopes I had about other Asura being less judgemental than Dokk evaporated as the guard simply said; "Disgusting" and looked the other way.

Inside the walls, I was introduced to everyone as "Fishman," a name, which persisted despite how many times I interrupted with the word "Derek." The gathered Asura – and there were many more than I could count – took it in turns to prod me with things, mostly staffs, which they would then sniff to see what they could make of me. Phrases like "utterly appalling" and "diabolical" rippled through the crowd.

"You enjoying the freak show?" I asked Dokk, before I realised that he was gone. Where I'd thought he was, another Asura was examining one of my many bulbous protrusions.

"It spoke to me," the Asura said with a start. "What is it you want The Fishman?"

"Derek," I said irritably. "Dokk said we should come here because you had a cure for my condition."

All of the Asura nearby and there were many, scoffed at this. "You should not listen too much to Dokk Fishman. He is merely an Experiment Krewe Member, not a healer of note."

"Then show me a healer," I demanded. "I've been poked and prodded by you crazy creatures long enough."

My demand was met by further prodding with more intrigued, disgusted comments. Fed up I began to walk through the crowd, which followed close by, poking and prodding as I walked.

Eventually I saw Dokk, speaking with some older looking Asura in a corner of the town. "Dokk," I shouted and he turned to look at me waving a dismissive hand in my direction.

I plodded along slowly, occasionally swatting at the staffs, which jabbed at me as I went. As I got closer to Dokk the crowd began to move away from me much to my relief.

"Dokk, this place is insane," I told him.

Ignoring me he address the older Asura who were all sat on boxes, looking down at him. "Elders, this is the Afflicted Fishman," Dokk introduced me.

They looked at me with a great deal of arrogance. The middle one looked me in the eye and said; "Dokk has told us of how he bravely dragged you from the land of Cantha far away."

I didn't argue, it wouldn't help I knew.

The one on the right spoke up in a slightly more shrill voice, "You have been a great burden Fishman, but we had faith in Dokk and despite your influence he has brought us back some interesting information on the Destroyers."

Dokk spoke up then. "With respect Elders, the Fishman Derek has been of service and I did present to him that we would seek a cure for his condition."

It hit me a moment later that he had actually used my name for the first time. True he'd said 'Fishman' too, but it seemed like progress to me.

The Elders stared at him and the one on the left poked me with his staff, a rude act that I ignored. These creatures didn't seem to have any time for nicety. The Asura sniffed at the end of his staff and then announced; "I shall examine this and see whether there is anything in the knowledge base, which can aid you.

"Thank you," I said, to which I received an indignant shrug.

It was a few hours before I heard anything from the Elders and I took the time to look around the place. The town looked ruinous and I wondered why a species so small and frail seeming would choose to live in this land, where dinosaurs and Grenth knows what else roamed free.

Eventually Dokk found me and dragged me back before the Elders.

"We have found no cure for your Affliction," the one in the middle told me. "There is nothing like it in the knowledge of our people."

I sighed and said, "Then truly there is no hope for me."

"Be that as it may, we did not say that there was no cure to be found, only that we hadn't found one yet," the left standing Asura told me.

I perked up a little.

The middle Elder spoke again; "We have determined that there is no cure in these lands. Your best hope lies in journeying to Norn territories and beg the use of the Raven Shrine from Olaf Olafson whose home is in Olafstead."

I couldn't help but smile. "Olaf Olafson in Olafstead?" I asked barely containing laughter.

"You would do well not to smirk in the presence of the Norn," lefty gravely told me. "They don't take well to humour," he warned.

"Okay, okay," I started, "how do I get there?"

The Asura were silent for a second and then looking from one to the other, each gave a small nod. The middle one then said; "Dokk shall be your guide through our lands."

"WHAT?" Dokk squealed. "Have I not been through enough?"

I looked at my companion, who I had been thinking of as the nearest thing I had to a friend in this insane place full of curious midgets.

He looked back at me and said; "No offence Bookah, but I have many duties…"

"Yeah whatever," I said cutting him off.

"You will take the Fishman Dokk," lefty spoke up. "He will not survive without you walking through these lands. If when you get to Norn country you decide to turn around we will not force you to decide here."

"Great," Dokk said angrily. "And what of my Experiment Krewe?"

The Elders looked uneasy. "They will be fine," the middle one said. "We have a temporary replacement in mind."

Dokk was furious I could tell. "You are taking me off of my assignment…" he trailed off and regained control of himself. "We capitulate to your wisdom Elders. Come Fishman!" he demanded. "We must leave at once."

I did a little bow and started to say thank you for the advice of the Elders, but Dokk grabbed my arm and dragged me away explaining quietly, "They would not care for your thanks. Besides, they have given you nothing."

"What do you mean?" I asked as we walked hurriedly towards the door back to Riven Earth.

"They have no knowledge that can help you," Dokk told me. "They have sent you on a fools errand because they have no better ideas. And worse, they have sent me too."

I was silent as I walked for a little while, but eventually my intrigue won out. "Why did they send you with me Dokk?"

The Asura stopped and looked at me. "They believe that I failed to protect the gateway in Cantha and now they have to send a new Krewe to fix the gate," he explained. "They would not listen to me about the Destroyers. They can fix the gate, but the Destroyers will come back mark my words Derek."

I stared at Dokk. "You said my name," I said disbelieving.

The Asura turned and walked away and I quickly followed. "I have learned some things since my return," he told me. "We Asura are not so wise as we may think. We have been foolish to disregard all others and I…I…well I apologise to you for some of my behaviour."

I stopped stunned as the Asura shuffled nervously onwards. He got quite away ahead before I regained my composure and shuffled quickly to catch up.

At length we came to a long rope bridge across a wide ravine. As we stepped on to the bridge my feet slipped through the gaps in the wood threatening to tip me and Dokk into the river waiting below. It was while doing a sort of shuffle/slide thing and moving incredibly slowly that I looked up and saw the floating rocks in the sky.

I was astounded and almost slipped again. "Dokk, how the hell does that work?" I asked pointing to the bridge in amazement.

"You would not begin to understand," Dokk told me. "It is a process of vary complicated…"

"Alright, I don't get it, but it is cool," I said.

Dokk actually smiled and carried on walking.

Our journey from Rata Sum to Umbral Grotto passed by with a series of death defying adventures, which would be way to long and complicated to explain. Suffice to say, that when we got there we were covered in blood sweat and spider webs.

We took a while to rest after our hard journey.

"So," I said to Dokk, "this is where Asura turf runs out huh."

Dokk nodded. "That is correct my Haunted companion," he said.

I sighed. "I guess you'll be heading back to your people then huh?"

To my surprise Dokk turned to me and said; "No Fishman. I've dragged you this far, it wouldn't be fair to send you into a land run by bear-people to beg a favour would it?"

"Uh, I…"

"You need me and I have nothing to go back to," Dokk said with a bowed head. "I must go on or turn back in shame."

I placed a podgy afflicted hand on the small creatures shoulder. "Dokk," I began, "you're right of course. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you. Come on my friend, let's go see the bears."

With a monumental effort we hauled ourselves up and began the shortest part of the journey yet.

Tip toeing through a cave of giant Ogre types was fun, especially when Dokk couldn't suppress a sneeze in the dusty air. There was a tense five minutes while a load of Jotun's sniffed the air and grunted a lot nearly discovering us creeping in the shadows, but we got away with it.

That is to say we got away with it until we came out of the cave and one of the giants spotted us and chased us into a herd of beserking bison. With more than one indelicate cow horn prodding us in the back, we ran as the herd pushed us to the very gates of Olafstead.

As we ran up the ramp and through the gates, there was a hell of an uproar inside the town. Everyone there was surprised by our arrival. A bunch of heroes were lurking around the doors as we burst in.

Swords, staffs and daggers were drawn and arrows placed on bowstrings in appreciation of our arrival. A cry of "Afflicted" went up amongst those who had clearly been in Cantha at least once recently.

"Whoa there," I said as we came staggering to a halt. "We come in peace."

"You'll be in pieces if you don't state your business this instant," said one of the Norn who had turned into a bear.

Dokk spoke up then; "Listen to me you dunderhead. We have journeyed from the lands of Cantha seeking a power to cure my friend of his Affliction and we have been sent to seek the blessings of the Raven Shrine. And if anyone of you stands in our way, you will regret it."

The Norn stared for a moment, and then laughed a deep hearty laugh. "You Asura are fantastic," he said. "I am Olaf Olafson. Welcome to Olafstead."

With that everyone put their weapons away and the Monk, Mhenlo steeped forward. "I get the feeling that we've met before Ritualist," he told me.

Memories of a few days previous went through my head. Me and Dokk in Kaineng Centre during the celebrations…

Dokk started to say something, but I nudged him into silence. "Yeah, I think we met once at the Monastery," I said politely sidestepping our last encounter.

"Ah yes, that must be it," Mhenlo agreed.

I smiled and turned my attention to Olaf. "Mr Olafson, could you help us get to the Raven Shrine?" I asked.

The Norn laughed again. "You are wise to be polite. Never anger a Norn. Remember that. Anyway, the answer is yes. I can help you, but why I would is not something you have suggested yet small one."

So for the fiftieth time in just a few days of un-affliction I explained the story up to this point. "...and then the bison chased us into the town here."

The Norn was silent for a second. "I know only what little Mhenlo has told me of Shiro and am not entirely convinced he's as nice a guy as you seem to think child," he told me.

"Well, I'm sure he had his reasons," I said much to the outrage of Mhenlo. I didn't have any more patience though and told him straight, "Shut up Mhenlo. I need help and your thoughts and feelings about Shiro are of no consequence to me."

Dokk nodded approval. "Well said Fishman, my presence is beginning to have an effect on your vocabulary. Fascinating."

"Thanks Dokk," I said. "Olaf, will you help me?"

The Norn regarded me gravely. "The journey to the Raven Shrine will put you in great peril, but if you are ready, you may go."

"Excellent, I am ready," I said firmly.

"While you are there you will face Destroyers from the depths of Tyria," he told me.

I could only think of one thing to say; "Let me at them!"

And with that, the world around me disappeared and I reappeared in some icy caves with Dokk at my side.

"Well my friend," he said, "lets go."

We didn't get far before some frozen creatures attacked us with big scythes. Luckily though Dokk was able to melt most of them with his fire staff and we continued towards what I hoped would be my salvation.

Very soon we came to some gates, which were flanked by two monument statues to Grenth. I shuddered at the sight of them, but Dokk calmly said; "I see no Grentches my friend worry not." And we carried on into the chamber.

As we approached the Shrine Destroyers popped out from nowhere and began to attack.

We fought off waves of the things before eventually they stopped appearing.

"Maybe we got 'em demoralised," I said to Dokk.

I then moved to the Raven Shrine and stood upon it. A bright blue light engulfed me and an image of a bear appeared on the floor beneath me. I felt the call of the spirit and accepted its gift.

In an instant a whole set of skills I'd never seen before resolved in my minds-eye. One stood out amongst them and so I called the arcane words to my mind. "Return me to my form of old. Restore me…Totem of Man!"

At first nothing happened, then I felt different. A pain lanced through me and slowly, one of the lumps on my arm began to peel away. More pain and more peeling occurred and slowly a green slime oozed between the various lumps that covered me.

"Disgusting," Dokk offered.

I tried not to yell out, in pain and elation as the bulbous parts of my anatomy fell to the floor with a splat.

Minutes after I had uttered the words that had broken the spell I was stood facing Dokk, a naked, pink human man, as I had been what felt like a thousands years ago.

I danced around and shouted and whooped and grabbed Dokk, hoisting him from the ground and spinning him round and round until I fell over.

"So I take it this is what you are supposed to look like then?" Dokk asked not looking convinced.

"Yeah, of course it is," I told him still smiling.

"Hmmm," Dokk said. "I cannot tell the difference."

Epilogue:

I stood upon the docks of Kaineng City looking out across the calm deep blue water.

It was a clear day and I could see Shing Jea Island glittering like the glorious Promised Land in the distance.

Things had been different for me since I had shaken off the Affliction. I still had to use the Totem of Man skill to keep me in my human form, which annoyingly had forced all of the spirit spells I had spent so long learning out of my head, but everything else had been easier.

Getting a boat from Lions Arch back to Kamadan, where I had learned that Abaddon had been defeated and Kormir had indeed stolen her place among the Gods. I silently thanked Shiro as the boat departed those lands and made sail for Kaineng.

Memories of my journeys across the lands raced through my mind and the peace I had expected to find once I looked upon Shing Jea was nowhere to be found.

"So," Dokk said from my side interrupting my reverie, "what are you waiting for? We travelled back to Cantha and home is but a stones throw away."

I looked at my companion, then back to Shing Jea Island so perfect, so near, so not right for me anymore.

"You know Dokk, I'm about ready for another adventure," I said and turned away from the view of what had once been home and walked away never to return.

THE END.


End file.
